Today was a good day. It started early - 4:45am - and… No, let's start yesterday.

Last week I was interviewed by my home church about what I'm doing here. I both love and hate these interviews. Of course I love that my home church is concerned and want to know how I'm doing. I love that they take an interest. And of course I love the opportunity to talk about my work. I love my work. Well, some of the time. Anyway.

There's been lots of interesting theological thoughts going on in my head recently, but heck, I really am astoundingly busy at the moment. And if I'm honest, a lot of it is due to failure to delegate. More than that, it's that old thing that missionaries say they'll avoid but never manage, making yourself indispensible. So, My Own Damned Fault.

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So I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to recently because, well, I have no energy. I'm currently hosting a Swiss short-term missionary who is helping out with Nagahama and Maibara, and I guess I feel quite a lot of pressure - self-inflicted of course - particularly in this first week or so, to make sure he is OK and well looked-after and entertained. The downside of this is that I feel I have to be on duty 24/7, not just making sure everything is OK but also making conversation and finding useful and interesting things to do. I am very bad at all of the above, hence the stress.

Just after I came back from the UK, there was this hectic time of camps and other stuff going on, and then about two weeks where I had very little to do. Now it’s all gone a bit wild again. Tomorrow we’ve invited all the new JET English Read more about What you say when you think nobody's listening

OK, OK, I have strange hobbies. But this is a good one.

As I wrote this morning, we had our second Maibara Revive meeting today. I arrived at church this morning to listen to a litany of people who couldn't make it. Takahashi-sensei said, "Well, it could be just the four of us…"

I got back from the UK on Thuesday night, about 10pm. On Friday morning I headed off to our International Friendship Camp. Our camps are one of the few things we do together as a field, so while they're really tiring - especially if you've just stepped off a longhaul flight - I'm starting to find them more and more worthwhile. Particularly that one, since I didn't have to do very much at it. :)

Partly so I can get it on the road if I need it. :)

Partly so I can get it on the road if I need it. :) Read more about The Itinerary